CenterLines is the bi-weekly e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling &
Walking, a program of Project for Public Spaces. CenterLines is our way of quickly delivering news and information
you can use to create more walkable and bicycle-friendly communities.

-> Usually when people depart an organization, the custom is to pass a card around the office for people to inscribe well wishes. I don't know about you, but more than once I have struggled for inspiration or the right words. Secretary LaHood's pending departure is not one of those times. As one of President Obama's last appointees, our expectations were somewhat low for this relatively unknown Republican from the Midwest, who looked like he'd be more at home in a butcher shop or a freight terminal. Oh how wrong we were!

Secretary LaHood, for a majority of his time in office, was operating in a vacuum: he lacked a federal transportation bill, and wasn't backed by an Executive Branch that was in any particular hurry to produce one. But rather than taking a seat at the kids' table, LaHood decided to lead, turning his office into a bully pulpit on the topic of distracted driving, and becoming the most powerful voice in the nation on active transportation and livable communities. On more than one occasion, LaHood was out ahead of both advocates and the Administration on sustainable transportation. (Remember his early embrace of a VMT tax?)

Secretary LaHood was our defender against those who sought to marginalize us, pat us on the head, and paint livability as some sort of war-on-drivers fantasy (cough, AAA). He will be missed.

Read Secretary LaHood's announcement on the USDOT's Fast Lane blog here http://1.usa.gov/11dj1S1. Be sure to leave him a note of appreciation.

NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT: WOMEN'S FORUM PROGRAM by Mark Plotz

-> On Monday, the League of American Bicyclists released more details about the March 4, National Women's Bicycling Forum. The Forum precedes the 2013 National Bike Summit, and it looks like an event that shouldn't be missed.

The Forum's speakers, workshops, and participants will focus on all aspects of the cycling world--events, organizations, and industry/business-to help us progress towards the goal of a movement that embraces a variety of backgrounds and experiences. It's time we move past trying to answer the rhetorical question of how to get more women bicycling, and focus instead on what we can do to be the change we wish to see in the movement.

-> According to a Jan. 17th Tax Foundation article: "...The lion's share of transportation funding should come from user taxes and fees, such as tolls, gasoline taxes, and other user-related charges. When road funding comes from a mix of tolls and gas taxes, the people that use the roads benefit from them and should bear a sizeable portion of the cost. By contrast, funding transportation out of general revenue makes roads "free," and consequently, overused or congested-often the precise problem transportation spending programs are meant to solve."

"Nationwide in 2010, state and local governments raised $37 billion in motor fuel taxes and $12 billion in tolls and non-fuel taxes, but spent $155 billion on highways. In other words, highway user taxes and fees made up just 32 percent of state and local expenses on roads. The rest was financed out of general revenues, including federal aid..."

"Table 1 lists each state by the proportion of highway spending covered by user taxes and fees, as well as the proportion of all transportation spending covered by user taxes and fees. Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, and New Hampshire do the best, raising about half of their transportation spending from user taxes and fees. While these states' commuters and visitors may gripe about high tolls and gasoline taxes, users are helping pay for services that they are themselves using. By contrast, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont, and Iowa raise little of their transportation spending from user taxes and fees, instead subsidizing it heavily with general revenues..."

Source: http://bit.ly/WAkJan
Title: "Gasoline Taxes and Tolls Pay for Only a Third of State & Local Road Spending"
Author: Joseph Henchman

FIGHTING OFF THE CAR IN LATIN AMERICA

-> According to a Jan. 23rd The Dirt article, "Curitiba, Brazil, and Bogota, Colombia are rightly famous for their world-changing bus rapid transit (BRT) systems and other urban transportation innovations, but other cities in Latin America are starting to give them a run for their money. Quito, Ecuador and Cali, Colombia, are now also becoming leaders in taking on the car in Latin America. At the Transforming Transportation conference organized by the World Bank and EMBARQ, Quito Mayor Augusto Barrera said nearly two-thirds of residents use public transit, while just 20 percent own cars. Buses and bike share systems are also well-used. Still, the explosive growth in car ownership presents a huge threat, so the city is continually updating and modernizing its public transit system to keep up."

"Barrera said the 1999 global financial crisis depleted the savings accounts of many Ecuadorians so 'cars are increasingly viewed as a safer, more tangible asset than bank accounts.' To combat growing car ownership, Barrera is changing regulations to create an integrated transit system, with metro, bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors, conventional buses, biking and pedestrian infrastructure all working together seamlessly. Agencies that used to be in control of different pieces are getting merged, so that the institutional barriers don't hold up progress..."

-> According to a Jan. 16th Torontoist article: "A group of physicians from St Michael's Hospital are calling for more progress on the City's bike plan -- and, as part of that push, they're standing in solidarity with Dr. Tomislav Svoboda, a colleague who was arrested in November for obstructing the now infamous removal of the Jarvis Street bike lanes."

"At a press conference this morning, Svoboda released an open letter signed by 22 physicians. It asks city council to "change lanes and save lives," by speeding up the installation of bike lanes throughout the city. Svoboda will appear in court tomorrow afternoon to face criminal charges of mischief and obstructing a peace officer for his act of civil disobedience. He's hoping to avoid a criminal record by offering to perform 50 hours of community service -- fittingly, with local advocacy group CycleToronto..."

"Citing the six cycling fatalities and thousands of injuries that have occurred in Toronto in 2012 alone, Svoboda said that what we usually describe as accidents 'could also be described as a failure by the City to protect its residents and to build a healthy city.' He urged councillors to consider the preventative benefits of cycling and active living in general. 'Cardiovascular health, mental health, insomnia -- all these things are treated with exercise...this is a public health issue, and an issue of primary care,' said Svoboda..."

-> According to a Jan. 28th Roads Were Not Built for Cars extensive e-book pitch, "If the Second World War hadn't intervened, Britain might now have a dense network of Dutch-style segregated bike paths. Or, at least, such a segregated network was the ardent desire of motoring organisations, leading police officers, the Ministry of Transport, county council officials and the majority of other witnesses who gave evidence to an influential parliamentary committee in 1938. Powerful representatives of Britain's two million motorists wanted to drive faster, and Britain's 12 million cyclists were in the way. Cyclists ought to be compelled to use bike paths when provided, argued organisations other than cycling ones..."

[Ed Note: Check out the 1934 cartoon about halfway through the document. It features five dedicated vertical levels of traffic topped by a level for zip-lining pedestrians crossing the road, another for pedestrians, yet another for perambulators (baby strollers), then another for emergency vehicles. Finally at ground level, a two-way Cyclists Track separates cars, trucks and buses from two-wheeling travelers. Sign me up for the Tarzan zip-lining commute across town.]

Source: http://bit.ly/11cCnXp, Roads Were Not Built for Cars e-book to be released this spring
Title: "Ministry of Transport Started One so Why Doesn't Britain Have a Dutch-style Bike Path Network?"
Author: Carlton Reid

DOWNLOAD FREE NEW COMPLETE STREETS PRESENTATIONS

-> According to the National Complete Streets Coalition January News: "We are pleased to release three new (or updated!) PowerPoint presentations for use in or adapt for your community. Check out:"

-> According to a recent Project for Public Spaces Placemaking News article, "The needs of our communities evolve over time, and our street design should, too. That's the idea behind 'rightsizing streets' - reconfiguring the layout of our streets to better serve the people who use them, whether they're commuters driving, shoppers walking, or children bicycling. Across the country, communities large and small are achieving impressive safety, mobility, and community outcomes by implementing such reconfigurations. Project for Public Spaces created this rightsizing resource to highlight the accomplishments of these communities and share best practices...We've pulled together ten case studies to show how 'rightsizing' can help you get results in your effort to re-shape local streets..."

-> According to a Jan. 23rd Huffington Post article, "If you want to walk on the campus of Worcester State University in Massachusetts, it's going to cost you. Whether students at WSU drive or walk to class, each one of them is hit with an annual $72 "parking/pedestrian access fee," the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports. Officials said the controversial fee is necessary to help maintain sidewalks, in absence of adequate state support."

"'When you only have a certain amount of money coming from the state, unfortunately the only way to make it work is through fees,' John Brissette, chairman of the Worcester State Board of Trustees, told the Telegram & Gazette. The school first began collecting a pedestrian fee in 2010. Prior to that year, WSU only charged an elective parking fee of $120 maximum per year..."

-> According to a Jan. 25th MassBike blog entry, "We were glad to see more evidence that the state gets it when it comes to bicycling. Back in August, we made extensive comments on MassDOT's GreenDOT Draft Implementation Plan. GreenDOT is MassDOT's sustainability initiative, and the implementation plan is the document laying out the path to achieving the goals contained within it. The final draft, which was recently released, reflects our suggested changes and represents a bold vision for moving our transportation system in a more sustainable, bike-friendly direction."

"We highly encourage you to take a look at the plan. Of particular interest is the 'Policy/Planning' section, which describes the ways in which MassDOT intends to expand multimodal options, support livable communities, and triple the mode share of bicycling, walking and transit use by 2030. Contained within this section are goals to increase the creation of Complete Streets projects, expand bicycle parking and transit access, and continue expanding the length and connections of biking and walking facilities. And that's just a start."

"There is still a lot of work to do to make sure that these high-level policies are reflected in the projects and operations on the ground. In an organization with 6,000 employees, changing culture can be a tall order. However, this document is a major step in the right direction with far-reaching implications, and we were glad that we could be a part of the development process..."

-> According to a Jan. 10th. Santa Monica Spoke article, "YES! The first 'Green Bike Lanes' in Santa Monica are beautiful but Ocean Park Blvd is much more than just green paint. Ocean Park Blvd from Neilson Way to Lincoln Blvd has been turned into a 'Complete Green Street'. Upon completion it will be the longest complete green street in Santa Monica and one of the longest in Southern California. Let's start with the obvious, these green lanes are gorgeous! However, green lanes alone wouldn't be enough to transform this once wide auto-centric street if other aspects of the boulevard hadn't also been addressed, so let's go back."

"From what I gather this project has a history that dates back to 1993. Yup, that is a LONG time ago. Initiated by the Ocean Park Association (OPA) with lofty goals to improve walkability, calm traffic and make Ocean Park Blvd more of a neighborhood street. Before 'Green' or 'Complete Streets' started gaining world wide acceptance as a way to improve livability in our cities and neighborhoods this group was already looking at the environment and towards sustainability with an interest in making the street a watershed and a green street..."

-> According to the Jan. 25th STL Beacon, "If things work out for Elizabeth Simons, she could be leaving the bitter St. Louis air soon for an all expense paid week in LA. The whole time, though, she'll be thinking about our bus stops."

"Simons, program manager with Live Well Ferguson, is one of 10 finalists in a project by the company GOOD and the Marriott Hotels and Resorts to spend a week in LA at GOOD headquarters... Simons' own idea has already come a long way from where she started. At a Pro Walk, Pro Bike conference she attended in California, attendees were challenged to come up with three ideas they could take back to impact their communities."

"Often, she felt, data were available about how many people walked and rode bikes, but there was no context, no real people. Simons wanted to find a way to capture the voices of cyclists and pedestrians. But how do you stop people in their tracks on their way to work, school, the store? What if you waited until they got to the bus stop? she thought. 'And once you're at a bus stop, you've got some time on your hands, so that's an easy way to capture people and their stories.'"

"The idea got further help at session during the 2012 Livable St. Louis conference. In the end, "Waiting on a Bus" would create a documentary telling the stories of people at bus stops in St. Louis, what their travel patterns are, how they feel about their experiences on the bus, and what our stops say about our town..."

Source: http://bit.ly/WJl9v7
Title: "Idea for a local documentary about public transit makes GOOD"
Author: Kristen Hare

EDWARDSVILLE (KS) TRAIL MOVES FORWARD IN NARROW VOTE

-> According to a Jan. 29th article in The Chieftain, "Though it will be more than a year before it is constructed, the Edwardsville City Council Monday approved steps needed for construction of a walking trail with the help of state funds. With a 3-2 vote for each item, the council approved authorizing the city manager to request construction of the $664,853 first phase of the trail for the Kansas Department of Transportation and entering into a professional services agreement with CFS Engineers to design the trail."

"Mike Webb, city manager, told the council that the city had received federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding for the project through the Mid-America Regional Council, which would cover $500,000 of the cost, leaving the city's share at $164,853. The project would be let out to bid for construction in mid-2014..."

-> According to a Dec. 17th Wash. Univ. in St. Louis news release "A new study out of Washington University in St. Louis is one of the first to use technology to effectively measure the use of built environments -- parks, greenways, trails and other man-made public areas -- as a means to improve public health."

"The study, 'Emerging Technologies: Webcams and Crowd-Sourcing to Identify Active Transportation,' is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Lead author is J. Aaron Hipp, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the Brown School."

"'Obesity is costing the U.S. healthcare system $147 billion annually,' Hipp says. 'We need to increase physical activity in this country and, by helping communities measure how effective cycling infrastructure, greenways, trails, parks and open space can be, we can both raise awareness and help communities build better environments,' Hipp says."

"The research was conducted in a novel way, using publicly available outdoor webcams and crowd-sourcing. 'The team used webcam imagery and a crowd-sourcing approach to count people, bikes and cars, in rainy, foggy or crowded conditions where automatic methods fail and research assistants struggle due to weather and numbers,' says co-author Robert Pless, PhD, professor in the WUSTL School of Engineering & Applied Science..."

-> In a Jan. 28th message, Deb Hubsmith of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership wrote, "Last year was full of momentous changes to the federal programs that fund Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking, and we are just now seeing how those changes will play out in our communities. But -- another federal transportation bill is just around the corner, and we need to make important decisions about what we want to advocate for. That's why we want -- and need -- your input. "

"Please take just 10 minutes to complete our survey (http://bit.ly/ViNOYk) -- your input will help set the course for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking advocacy. Your feedback will be critical in shaping how bicycling and walking advocates approach Congress this year. The survey deadline is Monday, February 4, so please fill it out today!"

-> According to a Jan. 24th email message from Marc Schlossberg, "We at the University of Oregon are looking for examples of existing street retrofits from around the country to be included in an Evidence-based Design Manual. The goal of the project is to use already completed projects from around the country and in different contexts as examples to help reduce fear of adopting similar projects in other communities. We've set up a simple on-line site to gather candidate streets at http://goo.gl/Up2Oi"

"The print and web-based guide is aimed to be a resource that addresses some initial filters of traffic engineers, transportation planners, policy makers, and community stakeholders, so that community conversations about retrofitting streets can quickly get past the fear of the unknown and move toward action."

"We are especially interested in streets with commercial activity or key transportation corridors, rather than bicycle boulevards on neighborhood streets, as they are also interested in the life on the street and the potential of better bicycle and pedestrian designs to spur economic and social activity (perhaps neighborhood retrofits will be a follow up project). We are interested in the full range of retrofits, from fairly simple "just paint" to more high end 'signature' projects."

"Do you know of a project in your community that was implemented and the world did not end because of it? If so, I hope you can share it. We can follow up with you individually as well if there is more to the story that you want to share than the on-line form allows. I appreciate your help as I think the output of this project can be a benefit to all of us."

QUOTES R US

-> "We're in a new age of celebrating America's cities, no longer disparaging and fleeing them as we did through the pre-crash, suburban expansion era. But who are the cities really for? Are they for waves of young professionals drawn to glitter and opportunities? Or for America's seniors, seeking community, supports, activity in their twilight years?"

"Yes on both counts. But what about families with pre- and school-age children -- especially as schools improve? Are the cities for them too? That answer, also, needs to be an emphatic 'yes.' Because the very future of cities depends on drawing young, child-rearing families..."

-> Photo caption: "A bicyclist walks across University Avenue at College Road through the ice fog Monday morning, Jan. 28, 2013. Temperature signs in the area were reading 45 below at the time. The official Fairbanks area low recorded at the airport was -48 [minus 48 F] at 1:30 a.m. The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures to remain 25 to 40 below through Monday and rising into the teens below Tuesday night..."

Additional training opportunities are available on the National Center for Bicycling & Walking web site. Add your own items to the on-line calendar...it's quick and easy. Please be sure your calendar items pertain to training and workshops in the bicycle, pedestrian, or livable community fields. Go to:http://www.bikewalk.org/calendar.php

America Walks is seeking a dynamic professional to serve as the manager of the newly formed Every Body Walk! Collaborative, a national multi-sector partnership formed to advance walking in America. America Walks is serving as the backbone organization of this effort, providing management and support for targeted partnership initiatives. The National Coalition Director will play a central role in leading, strategizing, and guiding the work of the collaborative. The National Coalition Director will work closely with the Executive Director of America Walks to ensure that the vision, mission, goals, and strategies of the initiative result in more walking by Americans in more walkable communities throughout America.

-> JOB - DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS, WASHINGTON, DC

The League of American Bicyclists seeks an ambitious Director of Development to lead the organization's development plan, with a strong emphasis on major donor development. We are looking for an experienced fundraising professional with proven success in building a major donor program and experience in all areas of fundraising. The Director of Development works closely with the CEO, COO, and Board of Directors to plan and implement an aggressive fundraising plan. Essential responsibilities include major gift and donor support, planned giving program, development and public relations, and unrestricted income financial reporting. A personal connection to bicycling is preferred.

Puget Sound Bike Share, a nonprofit partnership of public and private organizations working to bring bike sharing to King County, has issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for qualified bike share operator/vendors to deploy and operate a bike share program in the Puget Sound area.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri is seeking proposals from qualified engineering consultants in the preparation of an update to Bike KC, the City's bike plan. The consultant's role will be to provide data analysis, bicycle facility recommendations, and design standards for use in the plan document. The consultant should have proven experience and expertise in bicycle facility planning. This RFQ/P is not a request for a competitive bid.